CarianaCarianne, Zarathustra, Nietzsche and the Son of God is the second solo exhibition by CarianaCarianne at Polvo. In this new multi-media installation CarianaCarianne will investigate the invisible line that connects Zarathustra, the first known prophet and the originator of monotheism, with the contemporary monothematic body. This work will address notions of pluralistic embodiment, imposed history, and the complexities and contradictions of being alive.

CarianaCarianne are a collaborative which respond through a conscious duality, embracing a shared body that contains two internal selves – Cariana and Carianne. They are specifically interested in how the body and the representation of the body are constructed, viewed and negotiated. Combining installation, performance, text and video, they develop works that address self and under what circumstances self-invention becomes unbelievable or even illegal.

Cariana received an MFA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001 and Carianne received an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003. Their installations, objects and videos have been exhibited extensively across the United States, as well as in Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Belgium, Canada, England, Spain, France and Turkey. Their works have been included in the Istanbul Biennial, The Drawing Center, the European Media Arts Festival and the Dallas Museum of Art. Their solo projects include Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Croxhapox Gallery (Belgium), Chicago Cultural Center, and Polvo. Most recently their work was featured in the DVD publication ASPECT Vol.7: Personas & Personalities – which is available at most major museums.

This project is partially supported by a Community Arts Assistance program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.-----------------mini-exhibit: Coralina Cataldi Tassoni(New York)

Artist’s Biography :

Born in Manhattan. She is the product of American/Italian/Argentinean heritage. As a child she moved to Rome where she spent most of her life. Coralina performed in her father’s opera company as a child through her teens. Her first singing role was in " La Boheme " at the age of three and one half . Among numerous venues around the world , she also worked closely with her father as his Assistant Director . While attending the University of Rome, she was cast as the lead in a TV film for R.A.I. that was a springboard for her success as a motion picture actress . She has worked with many of the most renowned European Directors and producers such as Dario Argento, Pupi Avati, Lamberto Bava , making her a cult favorite with a large international fan following. Despite her film success , her passion for music and painting as a self taught artist went a step further becoming a personal form of creative _expression . Her debut album " Limbo Balloon " contains original bilingual and electic works embodying an array of influences from classical to rock and roll. Coralina has recently returned from South Africa filming the movie " Ghost Son " directed by Lamberto Bava , including Oscar nominee Pete Postlethwaite and John Hannah from "Sliding Doors " . Included among her numerous major acting roles : " Demons2 " (Lamberto Bava ) … "Opera " (Dario Argento ) …. " Phantom of the Opera " ( Dario Argento ) …. "Via Paradiso" (Luciano Odorisio ) . Coralina currently resides in NYC and Rome , Italy . For more info, check out her site: http://www.coralina.net/------------------flatscreen dvd: Tatjana Seserko/ Nela Trifkovic (Melbourne, Australia)

Tatjana Seserko is a visual artist who is currently conducting research in the field of cross-cultural performance. In her work, the temporal environments question the (im)possibilities of representation of memory and place. How do these visual syntheses leave traces on the current sense of self and ideological perception in our immediate surrounding?

The collaborative project "Seize Me By The Hair Of Forgetting," was from my perspective perceived as an experiment in which we explored notions of "performer" and "performance." The preconceived notion of these terminologies became reflected in the duel between the artists through their necessity to perform and their antagonising sense of desire. The sense of this antagonism was deeply reflected in the poetry this project initially was derived from. This project explored depths of our (to quote Nela) 'delicately explosive' Yugoslavian identity, as much as our artistic ones.

Nela Trifkovic is a musician and performance artists who is kept alive through her ongoing engagement in multi-disciplinary artistic discourses. she sings, composes, exists and shares it with as many others as possible form old friends to acquaintances strangers and other explorers and travelers....